Naidu meets Maya, says discussion fruitful

Published: Monday, August 25, 2008, 12:42 [IST]

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New Delhi, Aug 23 (UNI) Telugu Desam Party Chief Chandrababu Naidu today said he had a very fruitful discussion with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP supremo Mayawati on the issues relating to evolution of a Third Front to take on the Congress and the BJP in the coming General Elections.

Mr Naidu tonight had about two-and-a-half hour long meeting with Ms Mayawati at her residence.

''Things are moving in the right direction,'' Mr Naidu told mediapersons after the meeting.

Ms Mayawati's recent announcements that her party would contest all the 80-Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh had come as a great setback to efforts to put in place a viable Third Front.

Mr Naidu and other leaders of the UNPA had tried to prop up Ms Mayawati as the leader of the alliance after its founder member Samajwadi Party had deserted it to side with the Congress on the nuclear deal.

However, the BSP chief's refusal to concede any UP seat to other members of the evolving Third Front, of which the Left Parties were an important part, had dissapointed all the leaders in the grouping.

When asked whether he had discussed UP seat issue with Ms Mayawati, the TDP Chief replied in the negative and added that there were many more issues that needed to be discussed.

Mr Naidu, earlier in the day, had had met CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat as part of his effort to strengthen the evolving Third Front.